A PICTURE IS WORTH 1000 WORDS, PART VII.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to continue presenting a few of them in this column and in future columns through to the end of the year. I hope you enjoy it.
Le Mans, France June, 1965. The No. 1 Shelby American Ford Mk II (Bruce McLaren up) during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ken Miles qualified the machine in fourth position, but he and McLaren encountered gearbox issues and did not finish the race. Note the aero appendages on the rear; it was an attempt to stabilize the Mk IIs on the blistering fast Mulsanne Straight. Ford would return the next year to dominate the race, finishing 1-2-3.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Riverside International Raceway, October 26, 1969. Frank Gardner (No. 2 Alan Mann Racing Ltd. Ford Open Sports 429) qualified tenth but did not finish. Alan Mann led Ford’s racing operations in Europe, and he was directly involved in helping develop the GT40, Daytona Cobra Coupe, along with the Escort and Lotus Cortina racing cars. Designed by Len Bailey, the 1969 Open Sports Ford utilized an aluminum monocoque along with many suspension parts from a previous Alan Mann project, known as the F3L (aka the P68). Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8B Chevrolet) won that day, followed by Chuck Parsons (No. 10 Carl A. Haas Racing Simoniz Lola T163 B Chevrolet) and Mario Andretti (No. 1 Holman & Moody McLaren M6B 429 Ford).
Daytona International Speedway, February 1971. Tony DeLorenzo in the No. 11 Owens/Corning Fiberglas Racing Team Chevrolet Corvette. Tony and co-drivers Don Yenko and John Mahler finished 4th overall and 1st in GT+2.5. Pedro Rodriguez/Jackie Oliver (No. 1 J.W. Automotive Engineering GULF Porsche 917 K) won that day, followed by Ronnie Bucknum/Tony Adamowicz (No. 23 North American Racing Team Ferrari 512 S Spyder) and Mark Donohue/Davis Hobbs (No. 6 Penske-White Racing SUNOCO Ferrari 512 M).
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 1969. Jim Hall leans against the No. 7 Chaparral 2H Chevrolet (John Surtees up) during practice for the Can-Am at Road America. The 2H was Hall's least successful design; in fact it was such a spectacular failure that Hall went out and acquired a customer McLaren M12 for Surtees to drive during the season while he attempted to get the 2H sorted out. He was never able to. Surtees qualified the 2H a full nine seconds off of Denny Hulme's (No. 5 GULF/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8B Chevrolet) pole time at Road America, and did not finish the race. Bruce McLaren (No. 4 GULF/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8B Chevrolet) won that round, followed by Hulme and Chuck Parsons (No. 10 Carl A. Haas Racing Simoniz Lola T163 B Chevrolet).
Zandvoort, Netherlands, June 4, 1967. Jim Clark (No. 5 Team Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV) on his way to the win in the Dutch Grand Prix. This race was significant because it marked the debut of the Lotus 49 and the Ford Cosworth V8. Clark's teammate, Graham Hill put the No. 6 Team Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV on the pole, but it was Clark who forced his way to the front - and the win. Jack Brabham (No. 1 Brabham BT19 Repco V8) was second, and Denny Hulme (No. 2 Brabham BT19 Repco V8) finished third.
The Nürburgring, May 19, 1968. Speaking of the aforementioned Alan Mann Ford 3L P68/Ford Cosworth DFV designed by Len Bailey, this is the car as it appeared in the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometer race with Frank Gardner and Richard Attwood co-driving. The beautiful little coupe started 5th but did not finish due to brake issues. The No. 2 Porsche 908 driven by Jo Siffert/Vic Elford won that day, followed by Hans Herrmann/Rolf Stommelen (No. 3 Porsche 907) and Jacky Ickx/Paul Hawkins (No. 65 J.W. Automotive Engineering GULF Ford GT40).